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Jeep News & Rumors - Dispatch

Over in Australia, the Grand Cherokee killed it in the large SUV category in 2014, according to Roy Morgan Research. The Grand had been Number 4 the previous year, before taking the top spot now. The research company also compared drivers of SUVs and compacts. The top consideration for the SUV buyers was a vehicle with a proven track record, while the downsizers wanted fuel efficiency.

“Jeep is the most relevant brand in the auto industry,” Business Insider has proclaimed.

Still more talk about the Compass and Patriot getting trashed and a crossover replacing them.

Is the GMC Wrangler wanna-be going to be based off the Hummer HX concept from 2008?

Michael Collins, the mayor of Toledo and a massive presence in the fight to keep Wrangler production in the city, has died.

Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com named the Patriot and Wrangler Unlimited two of its winning picks for 5-Year Cost to Own awards. That means lowest projected ownership costs for the first five years you own it.

Jeep has been taking some heat for an advertisement/commercial in which a Muslim woman was featured within a theme of “This land is your land.” Supporters praise diversity, while critics call it un-American.

Next Wrangler: solid axles, not IFS.

Industry News
Dick Cepek is the official tire and wheel sponsor of the 2015 Deer & Turkey Expos. Dick Cepek is also sponsoring four of the Bassmaster Elite Series anglers.

Rxspeed.com —compare zillions of aftermarket parts and where to get them the cheapest.

Lund has acquired Bushwacker.

JC Whitney has turned 100 years old. It has a special website dedicated to its history, jcwhitney.com/100, where you can also learn about events marking the milestone.

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“Wrangler is so important to our psyche and to who we are as a community that everyone wanted to get involved.”—Paul Toth, CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, to Automotive News, regarding Toledo’s continuing incentives to Fiat Chrysler as a beg to not move Jeep production

Auto Graphs
Words are swirling around the idea that Apple has taken out a patent on technology that would allow a smartphone to access the vehicle. As in, no more key for the doors or ignition, just the phone.

On the subject of Apple, Project Titan is not a project from Nissan for its Titan pickup. It’s Apple’s venture into being an automaker, and it hopes to produce the vehicle for availability by 2020. Whether it’ll be an electric vehicle is a good guess.

Prediction from IHS Automotive: global vehicle sales in 2015 will be 88.6 million.

Smart damage detection? Rumor is Hella is exploring an intelligent system that would allow you to know when a body panel has been damaged or how bad it is based on sensors. GPS connectivity/onboard cameras might even provide details on when and where.

The 2015 Best Cars for the Money list has arrived from U.S. News & World Report and no Jeep. The ’15 Ram did make the cut for fullsize pickup.

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“We have had to do an inordinate amount of intervention on that transmission, surely beyond what any of us had forecast. There are things that we have done—that we continue to do. Our proactive customer care intervention has actually increased in intensity on these vehicles in 2014, especially in the second half.”
—Sergio Marchionne, Fiat Chrysler CEO, to Automotive News, regarding consumer complaints about the nine-speed transmission’s malfunctioning lights, hard shifts, disengagement, and more, and how it is addressing the software fixes

Laramie Limited Ram
The ’15 Ram Laramie Limited is all up in premium’s face, with a version of the truck that is made of full-leather seats, real wood inside, new 20-inch wheels, and more to be an upscale alternative to the Laramie Longhorn. That grille, though. It’s minus the signature crosshairs.

Where the Jeeps Are
Have an event? Let us know! Remember the magazine needs about four months of notice. Just follow these steps:Name of event:Date(s) of event:City/State of event:Venue for event:Website for readers to learn more about your event:Why your event is cool in five words or less:

Have a high-resolution photo from a previous event? Feel free to send it to us and we might just include it.
Send the info and photo to: jpeditor@jpmagazine.com
Make your subject line: Where the Jeeps Are

How to Get in Jp MagazineHelp us put together our Sideways department! Send us stories and photos for:Jeep Chix: We want to see you or your gal or some gal you know with a Jeep. Give us her name, the circumstances, the situation…the details.Stuck/Flopped/Rolled: How come none of you are sending us photos and stories for this version of Sideways? Are you all staying on baby trails? Where are photos of cool carnage and sticks?Vintage and Military Jeeps: We like old-timey and military things. Please us with a pic, story, names, Jeep.

In addition to the words, here are the photo requirements:
Maximum-quality JPEG, BMP, or TIFF file.
No less than 1,600 by 1,200 pixels (about 2 megapixels).
No PDFs or other formats. We just can’t use them in the magazine.
Email the materials to jpeditor@jpmagazine.com with the subject line: Sideways.